Oyster-opening machine



N M d 1. (0 0e) C.LEDUG.

OYSTER OPENING MACHINE. I

N0. 332,403. Patented D60. 15, 1885,

PATENT EricE.

CONSTANT LEDUO, OF

DENVER, COLORADO.

OYSTER-OPENING MACHINE.

$PECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,403, dated December15, 1885.

Application filed October 1, 1885.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CONSTANT LEDUo, of the city of Denver, in the countyof Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented an Improvement inOyster-Opening Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to that class of oysteropening machines in whichthe oyster is held in a suitable bed or clamp, and is opened by theinsertion of a knife or blade upon a pivoted lever; and my inventionconsists in a pcculiar pivoted and jointed lever carrying the knife orblade, which is thereby adapted to be moved through an arc in a verticalplane to penetrate between the halves of the oysters shell, and to beturned at right angles to the plane of its first movement, whereby it isenabled to pry the shell open.

It consists, further, in sharpening theedges of the knife or blade forthe purpose of seven ing it from its shell, and in a peculiar adjustable bed, in which the oyster is held while its shell is beingopened, all of which I shall hereinafter fully describe.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, practical, andeffective machine for opening oysters.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents the board or tablefor mounting the machine.

B is a standard bolted thereto.

0 is the bed for the oyster. It consists of two separate castings angledon their outer surfaces and inclined on their inner surfaces, whereby agroove, 0, is made, the walls of which are provided with ledges orshoulders c, for holding the oysters at different heights. These piecesare secured to the board A by means of bolts D, which pass through slotsor enlarged holes d in said pieces, whereby they may be set up close toone another or withdrawn from each other, for the purpose of diminishingor increasing the width of the groove 0, in which the oyster rests. Thebed is therefore adapted for different sizes of oysters.

E is a lever. It consists of a link portion, e, and a handle portion, 0.The end of the link is slotted on the top of the standard B, and ispivoted thereto by a horizontal bolt or pin, F, so that the link andhandle are adapted to move through an arc in a vertical plane.

Serial No. 178 775. (No model.)

The end of the handle is slotted on the adjacent end of the link, and ispivoted thereto by a pin or bolt, G, placed in a vertical position, sothat the handle may have a movement through an arc in a horizontal planeor at right angles to the are through which it moves by reason of thehorizontal pin F. The pin G- is preferably the stem of the knife orblade H, which is letinto a groove in the under side of the handle, andis secured by the bolt or pin G. The knife is a broad and rather flatone, ground down on its faces to its tip, thus providing for its readyentrance into the shell; and the edges h of the knife are sharpened downalso for the purpose of cutting and severing the oyster from its shell.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The oyster is placed Withinthe bed 0, which is properly adjusted for the size of the oyster. Thelever E is now brought down through a vertical arc, so that theknife Henters between the halves of the shell of the oyster, after which thehandle part of the lever which carries the knife is turned at rightangles, there by turning the knife and prying the shell open. The sharpedge of the knife severs the oyster from the shell.

I am aware it is not broadly new to open oysters by means of a knifesecured to a pivoted lever, the oyster being held between pivoted jawsor sustained in position upon the bed by a spring-clamp. I am also awareinterchangeable blocks have been used to hold the oyster preparatory toits being operated upon by the knife; and these features I do not claim,broadly, as my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is I 1. In an oyster-opening machine, thecombination of a bed for holding the oyster with a pivoted jointed leverand a knife carried by said lever, and adapted to be inserted in theshell of the oyster and turned at right angles to pry it open,substantially as described.

2. In an oyster-opening machine, the lever E, consisting of the linkportion 6, pivoted and adapted to move through an arc in a verticalplane, and the handle portion 6, pivoted to the link portion 6 andadapted to move in an arc in ahorizontal plane or at right angles to theplane of the movement of the link e, and

a knife carried by said handle portion, substantially as described.

3. In an oyster-opening machine, the pivoted link 0, adapted to movethrough an arc in a vertical plane, and the handle 6, pivoted to thelink and adapted to move with said link, and also at right anglesthereto, said link and handle constituting the lever E, in combinationwith the knife H, seated in the handle, and having a securing-stem, G,which forms the pivot bolt or pin between the handle and the link,substantially as described.

4. In an oyster-opening machine, the bed 0, consisting of twoindependent pieces placed horizontally upon the bed and forming agroove, 0, between them, the ledges or shoulders c, for holding theoysters at different heights, and the means for adjusting said piecesfor different sizes of oysters, consisting of the bolts D, passingthrough slots or enlarged openings d in the pieces, in combination withthe operating-knife for opening the oysters, substantially as described.

5. An oyster-opening machine comprising the adjustable grooved bed 0,the standard B, the pivoted and jointed lever E, and the Witnesses:

HENRI R. FosTER, WM. SANDERSON.

